Parents have just 32 minutes to themselves every day and many have to hide from their kids to get a breather, according to new data.A study into the everyday lives of 2,000 moms and dads found that the typical parent has just over 30 minutes to themselves every day once work and parenting duties are tended to.And, with free...
You may have tampered with the balance of power with this couple, says Mariella Frostrup. Is there something you are not divulging?The dilemma For the past few months I have been befriended by a lesbian couple who welcomed me into their lives as family. I am a 40-year-old single, straight female and was greatly flattered by their attention. I enjoyed...
Our baby son is enjoying the friendships we are forcing on him – but what choice do adults have?After a few months of somewhat patchy interactions with other babies, it’s a surprise to find my son is now something of a social butterfly. In fact, given the demands of parenting and my fondness for my own company, it’s...
Attachment parenting is a parenting style that emphasizes a strong bond between parents and children, with parents being highly attuned and receptive to their child's needs.It's most often associated with things that keep parents and children close, like breastfeeding on-demand, baby-wearing, and responding right away to a baby who cries out during sleep or play.Attachment parenting is not one of the four parenting styles...
The government’s proposal that shop workers should help kickstart children’s early development is laughableParents, we’ve all been there: a high-street shoe shop in early September. Everyone with a school-aged child has simultaneously realised that if they don’t get around to buying shoes today, the kids are going to have to start the year wearing flip-flops, or wellies. The queue...
You must delve into your own past, Mariella Frostrup tells a social worker who has no contact with her own familyThe dilemma I’m 28 and was born and raised in a northern mining town. I went to university quite late in life, trained to be a social worker and now work in child protection, which I love. When I...
A new relationship will long outlive – and swiftly obscure – the heartache you’ve been through, says Mariella FrostrupThe dilemma Eighteen months ago, my husband left me and our children, who were both under five. We had been through a rocky period, drifting apart a little. I put this down in part to the demands of our jobs and...
‘I’ll tell you what’s just happened,’ he says. ‘Someone’s taken my wife’s skis’It is Wednesday afternoon, and I am skiing through some trees in the French Alps. Because I am one of a group of nine friends staying in two adjacent flats, I am relishing this moment alone. The snow is pristine, the sky is a bright chemical...
As a child of divorce, I grew up wanting a different life. I swore I would never have a family and put them through that mess. I would do whatever it took to stay with my spouse for my children.One day, when I was running errands with my kids during a particularly horrible rough patch with my husband that felt like...
About a week ago, I plopped myself down on the couch next to my seemingly lounging husband. The kids were playing nicely for once and I began chitchatting about a TV show that was on. He politely, but emphatically, shushed me and said, “Hold on, I’m thinking,” and proceeded to continue sitting in silence for no less than another...
